How to Ease your First Time Parent Worries

Bringing a baby home for the first time can be overwhelming and scary. You are responsible for this little bundle of life and you constantly worry about every aspect of their day. You might worry about the sniffle they develop a couple of days after coming home. You might worry that they have stopped nursing for a couple of hours. You might even worry that they are not getting enough sleep. These are all common worries of first time parents. It is also likely that you have your pediatric care specialists on speed dial.

Take a parenting class

Taking a parenting class does not mean that you are a bad parent. It simply prepares you for common medical emergencies that infants might face. It also helps you distinguish between symptoms that are normal and symptoms that require medical care. You don?t want to have to run to the local pediatric care specialists every day, so taking a parent class could be more useful than you might think. There are many pediatrics locations that offer parenting classes to both first time parents and parents that just want a refresher after a few years.

Develop a medical emergency plan with your pediatrician

Your pediatrician is a great resource to use when creating a medical emergency plan. They can provide you with telltale signs that emergency medical care is needed. They can also refer you to local pediatric care specialists that have pediatric walk in clinics. Walk in clinics can be helpful for answering quick medical questions or concerns, without having to wait to schedule an appointment. An estimated three million patients visit urgent care centers each week in the U.S. They are an acceptable form of urgent medical care treatment.

Take comfort in your parenting instincts

Many parents have care instincts that can be helpful to trust. Even if your pediatric care specialists ensure that you can wait for an appointment, sometimes it is best to just ease your fears. That is what makes urgent care centers so wonderful. You don?t have to drag your newborn baby to an emergency room to sit for hours to be seen by a medical professional. Instead, you can go into a walk in pediatrics center and ease your concerns. The average child catches between six and ten colds a year. While every cold does not require medical care, it can be comforting for the parent when their child receives it.

Request information for an on call pediatrician

Many pediatricians will work on an on call basis, meaning they are there to answer your infant questions, even in the middle of the night. This can be extremely refreshing for the first time parent. There is nothing scarier than dealing with a medical concern in the middle of the night. You understand the risks of heading to the local emergency department, but you wonder if it is a good idea to wait until the office reopens in the morning. Request information for an on call pediatrician, specifically that is available to answer questions throughout the night. It does not matter if it is your usual pediatrician, just that they have extended availability.

Emergency room visits are now approximately 110 million annually. Being a first time parent also comes with many infant health questions. Many of these questions will come about late at night, or even in the middle of the night. Instead of dragging your newborn to the local emergency room, develop an emergency medical plan with your pediatrician or consider local urgent care facilities.